‘Elton John: Never Too Late’ on Disney+ honors the life and legacy of the rock icon

Disney+ documentary ‘Elton John: Never Too Late’ juxtaposes the artist’s historic Dodger Stadium concerts in 1975 with his final North American concerts there in 2022.

In October 1975, a 28-year-old Elton John performed two sold-out shows at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, cementing his status as the biggest pop star in the world. Nearly 50 years later, John returned to the scene of his crowning achievement to perform his last-ever U.S. shows as part of his wildly lucrative Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

Those two seminal events in the iconic singer-songwriter’s life form the foundation of “Elton John: Never Too Late,” now playing in select theaters and debuting Dec. 13 on Disney+. Directed by R.J. Cutler and John’s husband, David Furnish, the documentary juxtaposes the months leading up to John’s final concert in North America with the early years of his career, including the remarkable five-year period, between 1970 and 1975, when he released 13 albums — seven of which reached No. 1 — and redefined rock 'n' roll.

In 2018, John announced that, following a multiyear global tour, he would be retiring from his life on the road, citing a desire to spend more time with Furnish and their two children. Knowing that his husband, who regularly performed 90 to 100 shows a year, was about to give up “a huge part of who he is and how he kept his music alive” for good, Furnish — who has been John’s partner for 31 years and is the CEO of their artist management group, Rocket Entertainment — wanted to find a way to commemorate the milestone.

Elton John performs at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 1975.Chris Walter / WireImage via Getty Images fileIn early 2020, Furnish took a meeting with Cutler, an accomplished documentarian best known for his revealing portraits of Billie Eilish, Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign and, most recently, Martha Stewart. While Furnish had his sights set on capturing the historical and emotional significance of John’s farewell tour, Cutler expressed an interest in revisiting the first five years of John’s career, which culminated in another monumental event: his decision to come out in a 1976 interview with Rolling Stone journalist Cliff Jahr.

“When we started talking about the resonances between those two decisions and the way in which they reflected on the kind of life that Elton has chosen to lead, we realized there were big themes here to make a film around this extraordinary character who defined his own life courageously and didn’t let life define him,” Cutler told NBC News in a joint interview with Furnish. “Life is finite, but you live the life you choose to live and it’s never too late to make those decisions.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-culture/elton-john-never-too-late-documentary-rcna180606

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